Pet Vomiting & Diarrhea

Vomiting and Diarrhea: When is it Time to Worry?

You may think of your pet as a member of the family, but it's one family member that can't tell you when it's sick. When you see your dog or cat vomiting or having a case of pet diarrhea, we at Urgent Pet Care Omaha, NE, recommend calling us to see if your pet's problem can be treated at home or should be treated by a veterinarian. Watching your pet's behavior can help us to decide if it's a true emergency.

Pet Vomiting

Most cases of pet vomiting is due to something the pet ate, such as people food, trash, plants, or clothing. If your dog or cat vomits once or twice and your pet is acting normal, it's
generally safe to just watch your pet for the next 24 hours.

After any case of dog or cat vomiting, it's best to withhold food for the next 12 hours. Continue to offer water in small amounts if the pet can keep it down. Once your pet's stomach has emptied out, anything added to it will stretch the walls, making them contract again and vomit out the contents.

In any case, if your pet begins to dry heave, vomits multiple times, has a stomach that begins to expand or harden, or is still vomiting after 12 hours, it's time to call our office.

Pet Diarrhea

Pet diarrhea usually comes in two forms, watery and mushy textured. Pets with loose or watery stools are more likely to act sick, to lay around with very little energy. If your pet has this type of diarrhea but is still active and will still eat, it's best to feed it a bland diet. Try some boiled, skinless, boneless chicken mixed with rice. This is easy to digest and will help to bind up your pet's intestines.

If your pet has soft stools, more like a cow patty, it could be due to a large intestine problem. It will still probably want to eat, but you should feed it bland food high in fiber. Boiled chicken and rice are still good idea.

In both cases, if the symptoms persist for more than 12 hours or if your pet is not eating or drinking, get in touch with our veterinary team.

If your dog or cat is having both vomiting and diarrhea it is best to have them seen by a veterinarian immediately to determine the cause.

Urgent Pet Care Is Only a Call Away

Pet vomiting and diarrhea can be scary, but in some cases, you can deal with them at home in just a day or two. If you have any questions or need to bring your pet into the office, call your emergency veterinarian in Omaha at 402-597-2911.